The present invention is an activity management system, in particular for coin-operated systems including but not limited to video arcade games and slot machines.
Casino gambling and video game arcades are substantial industries. These industries frequently use machines that are coin or token-operated including but not limited to video arcade games and slot machines. These machines can require the accounting, maintenance and security of large sums of coins and other currency. These machines also often require a user to return to a central location to acquire tokens, coins or change for bills.
A number of prior art gaming systems are known including but not limited to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,575,622, 4,032,946, 5,326,104, 5,496,032, and 5,779,546. However, these systems can be cumbersome, expensive, limited in application, or do not address each of the issues above.
Thus, there is a need for an activity management system that facilitates the accounting, maintenance and security of large sums of coins or other currency and that does not require the user to leave his or her machine to return to a central location to acquire tokens, coins, or change for bills.
The present invention is an activity management system, in particular for coin-operated systems including but not limited to video arcade games and slot machines. The preferred embodiment of the activity management system is an automated redemption system comprising a client transponder card with a memory unit, an activity station, a management station, and an attendant transponder with a memory unit. The memory unit of the client transponder card preferably has event criteria such as a debit/credit indicator, a content rating and a time stamp. The memory unit of the attendant transponder preferably has a passkey and a debit/credit indicator. The preferred embodiment of the activity station has an inductive transmission system, a memory unit with programs for evaluating the client transponder""s event criteria such as the debit/credit indicator, content rating and/or time stamp and programs for interacting with the attendant transponder""s passkey and debit/credit indicator. The preferred embodiment of the activity station also has three status indicating lights and an alphanumeric display. The preferred embodiment of the management station has a computer with a database and a management station inductive transmission system for reading and writing data to client transponder cards. The management station preferably has a wireless network data connection with the activity station via transceivers in each station. The management station periodically queries the activity station for data.